Mother Nature giveth, and Mother Nature taketh away. At least, that's the case in the peculiar story of Rhyolite, a Nevada desert ghost town. I explored the area in February of last year.
^^^Ruins of the old Cook Bank.
The seeds of Rhyolite came into existence in 1904 when gold prospector in the area of the Bullfrog Hills named Shorty Harris proclaimed he found the area to be rich with quartz that was "full of free gold".
^^^An abandoned gold mine in the surrounding hills, well over 100 years old.
Word spread quick in those days, as it often would when it came to the discovery of gold. The desolate area sprung up with miner camps and over 2,000 gold claims were made, nearly covering the 30 square mile area. The town started booming. Building popped up everywhere; banks, hotels, stores, brothels, jails, schools, even a miner union hospital.
^^^The crumbling facade of the HD & LD Porter general store.
Rhyolite was at it's pinnacle in 1907 when electricity came to the town. It's estimated the population may have reached as high as 5,000 around this time. Aristocrat Charles Schwab was even involved at this point, after buying the largest mine in town. This was also the beginning of the end, however. The historic San Francisco earthquake hit just a few months earlier and disrupted commerce along the whole west coast and across the nation. Also, a massive financial panic hit the nation this year which sent shock waves through town.
^^^The Rhyolite rail road station, the most intact building that remains today.
This small boom town faded into obscurity just as quickly as it came into existence. By 1910, five years after the town was born, the population had plummeted to a few hundred. Banks had failed, business had closed down, and the mines began running at a loss. The ore that was being found early-on ended up being in short supply.
^^^The Rhyolite jail. One of my favorite sites. The large, iron doors leading to the jail cells were something right out of the movies.
^^^The back of the jailhouse with another cool door and windows.
^^^Jail house window. Someone had bent the bars attempting to get into the building... or out of it, maybe?
Though a few stragglers remained over the next few years, the population of Rhyolite was virtually zero by 1920. Most of the buildings quickly crumbled, or were salvaged for materials. Within a few short decades, the ruins of the town became a tourist destination. The town fell under the protection of Death Valley when it became a national park in 1994, falling just within the boarders of the eastern edge of the park.
^^^Overlooking the whole area of the town.
Though the town of Rhyolite has drastically changed since it's heyday, the landscape and climate has not. THAT is one of the most amazing parts of this town to me. I mean, it is right in the middle of one of the harshest desert environments on earth. There was nothing nearby, especially in 1905. The fact the ANYONE could have survived here, let alone a booming town, is incredible.
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***Daily Nature Fix is a daily blog showcasing the natural world. It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels.***